RISHON LE ZION, israel — During the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, high-tech executive Sharon Savariego was never far from the essentials: easy access to the family bomb shelter, a television beaming 24/7 emergency coverage and a laptop to check the latest Internet levity.

"The jokes were everywhere," Savariego said days after the wail of sirens had receded and the rockets had stopped crashing. When "we have these situations, we make humor about everything."

Israelis are well-known for their cynicism and dark humor, a way to relieve stress, bring people together and provide an illusion of normality during a crisis.

"Where there's more suffering, there's more humor," said Arie Sover, a professor at Ashkelon Academic College and editor of the Israeli Journal of Humor Research. "The history of the Jewish people is filled with bad things, so we have an extraordinary humor system."

Within minutes of the first hail of rockets from the Gaza Strip in mid-November, jokes were also flying, their payloads aimed at the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system, air-raid sirens and shelter life.

"Cloudy with a chance of rockets," said mock weather reports.

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"To those of you moving to Canada, can I have your flat screens?" wrote comedian Benji Lovitt, adding that his apartment was available for those under fire, "especially if you are female, single and between the ages of 29 and 37."

Making light of danger lets Israelis feel more in control, said comedians and trauma experts. Moreover, almost nothing is off-limits in this often-abrasive culture.

"Part of the humor comes from the macho bravado you need to live in Israel," said Donna Rosenthal, author of "The Israelis." "There is no such thing as politically correct, and no such thing as sacred cows."

For some, humor provides an antidote to endless political debate.

"It helps tune out all the online shrillness," said Sarah Tuttle-Singer, social media director for the Times of Israel, an online news site. "Personally, it helped me cope."

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